Reliable granite shops in Jigani

[pkumar78]

Hello,
Please suggest me few good and reliable granite shops in Jigani.
Also I would appreciate any suggestion/tips for buying granite.

Thanks in advance,

[Nivas]

if you are looking for Gang sawed granite , M.R granites is the biggest showroom with very good collection. if you are looking for mini gang saw or handpolished ones Riddhi siddhi granites has a good collection and prices are very reasonable.
Gang saw : surface imperfections are minimal ,hence polished uniformly.
a)Bargain hard , if its gang saw , you should get at least 50 Rs less than quoted for premium material(250+Rs /sqft ones).
b)Only buy granite just before laying , do not pay money and reserve. (you will end up with a lot slabs with uneven grain patches, good ones among the lot will be sold already). worst case you need to reserve , sign each slab after inspection with permanent marker and number it , take photo etc.
c)the lighter shades reflect light better, so choose based on your natural light conditions.
d) hardness vary (whiter ones are relatively softer than the darker ones), but ultimately you choose based on the pattern and color. to me hardness of stone it is not a big concerning factor , I liked white ones , I picked the same. for kitchen also I chose white , people say for kitchen use darker shades because of staining etc. people don't know that there are stone sealers , with which you can make it stain resistant. weak granites have epoxy coating on the back and a mesh backing.
e) some granites chip easily(pinkish ones typically,which show grainy crystallization) , you may not get a clean edge finish. Take the laying person along with you. He will be able to isolate the easily chippable ones.
f) There may be some wild\exotic patterned granites that lure you , think about cutting and laying it and then matching the patterns, which is a headache for worker and it may end up ugly if it cannot be matched and laid.

[sukhoi]

Hi Nivas,
I really appreciate your valuable inputs which should help others as well. Thank you for your time and efforts in sharing the knowledge.

[gopikrishnamr]

Hi

i bought granite cherry brown 3X12 size from jigani and price is 105/-, this is totally even.

i have cheked in Riddi siddi, Mandot, balaji and others, prices are more or less slimier with difference of Rs 5-10.

while buying check the measurement and measurement entered in the sheet parallely. check the cracks,

i heard that moon white and french white have higher iron content and did not prefer,

[Nivas]

You have been misinformed about the Iron Content, From the basic chemistry , Metallic oxides impart color to various precious and non precious mineralogical substances and granite being one among them. Iron does not exist as a free metal inside granite , it occurs as Oxide imparting different color to granites among other Metals and non metals. for example Ferric Oxide Fe304 imparts Metallic Black\Grey to granite, HydrousFerricOxide: Brown Orange Yellow, Fe203: Red , Pink , Brown, FeS2 : Pale Yellow, CuFeS2 : greenish black .
White granite has maximum feldspar content and least Iron\metallic impurities , that is why its white. It is igneous formed at higher temperatures. On the contrary Brown and Red\Pink granites should have higher Iron content.

One need not be excessively concerned about Iron, they already exists as stable compounds ,and your granite is already million years old . except in some cases of pyrite content (FeS2,CuFeS2), they might tarnish over years due to surface oxidation. avoid Greenish ,bright yellow veined granites.

[pkumar78]

Thank you for your suggestions.

Any idea what is the price of English Teak Brown(gang saw cut) granite ?
I am finalizing it considering hardness and stain free properties. Is this granite good for residential purpose.

Thanks,
PKumar

[Nivas]

gang saw Teak brown Rs180 to 200 depending on the pattern imperfections is a reasonable price. I have put teak brown with small ovoids for that price in one of our building. Price vary depending on the material and Granite names are loosely coined and their definition varies vendor to vendor.

Forgot to mention the important tip , carry a pocket magnifier with you. Typically Sedimendary granites are bound to chip irregularly ,grout line may look odd with jarred edges . when you look into stone it looks grainy. Igneous granites are formed under intense heat, they appear well sintered ,hard to look for a boundary when looked under the magnifier. Again the cutting of the stone needs to be managed choosing the right abrasive disk.

Regarding the stain resistant properties , Even the vendor suggested best Granite have micro pores, just look into it with a magnifier.
Choose the color based on your lighting requirements and aesthetics, In matters of wood and stones , I would like to go with " If it looks good, put it" , just like andrew zimmerman says if it looks good eat it. Every problem in Granite and wood can be managed.

Laying and finishing granite is also a important step ,its your stone , you can enhance the life of your flooring by incorporating simple steps . Before laying , you can use polymer modified cement as a base coat under stone, or simply mix cement and SBR latex (Dr Fixit URP or Fosroc SBR) apply a thin coat with brush underside of stone, this enhances adhesion to base. This also prevents any dye \pigment transfer to surface from substrate\base. Tenax and Moeller have excellent stone care products now available in india ,after laying buy the required sealer and apply with a brush or cloth and wipe it off, the sealers are deep penetrating . they just fill all the micropores rendering your stone breathable , hydrophobic and stain resistant. Use Epoxy grout instead of plain cement grout.

[gopikrishnamr]

Hi Nivas

Good information.

[pkumar78]

Thanks Nivas. Very useful. I will check with my layer for using SBR latex.

[gsNagesh]

@Nivas,

Can you name few white granites or bright colored which have least chipping for a better edge finish?
and suggest vertical/gangsaw/mini gangsaw will be out for the named granite's and possible rates.

In vertical slabs we get 3 ft wide but varies in length sometimes upto 12 ft. Kindly suggest.

Thanks,

- Nagesh/